FOES: [0 VS A. OKA: The Tunicata of the Indian Museum. 7 
branes springing from the branches of the transverse vessels run in all directions 
over the space between the folds. The stigmata are very irregular in shape, being 
short and almost straight or even oval in some places, while in others they are long 
and wavy or curved in spirals. These spirals are quite irregular both in size and in 
position, the larger ones form conical infundibula, but the smaller ones are perfectly 
flat (P1 II, fig. 6). The endostyle is long, but rather narrow. 
The Dorsal Tubercle is elliptical or kidney-shaped with the greatest length 
antero-posterior; both horns are coiled inwards and form simple spirals of nearly 
equal size; the aperture is at the left side. It occupies the centre of a flat triangular 
peritubercular area (Pl. II, fig. 7). 
The Dorsal Lamina is narrow and very thick; it looks like a stout internal 
longitudinal bar, and there are no ribs and no marginal teeth. 
The Alimentary Canal forms a long curved closed loop on the left side. The 
oesophageal aperture is on the dorsal side of the branchial sac at the posterior 
extremity of the dorsal lamina, and the oesophagus curves posteriorly to open into 
the oblong stomach situated at the dorsal edge of the posterior end. The wali of the 
stomach is thick, and its outer surface is rough from the presence of a number of 
small rounded projections. 
The Gonads are present on both sides of the body. The gland on the left side lies 
dorsally to the place of abrupt bending of the intestine, while the opposite gland occupies 
the centre of the right side. They are irregular in shape, being composed of minute 
follicles, and there is no apparent distinction between the ovarial and testicular 
portions of the gland. A common genital duct is seen springing from the middle of 
the inner side and running for a short distance towards the base of the atrial siphon. 
The Exeretory Organ is a long, slightly curved, sausage-shaped sac, situated 
posteriorly to the genital gland of the right side. A small number of irregularly 
shaped brownish concretions are found floating in the sac. 
Locality —Byickhwaaw Bay, Lower Burma, “ Investigator’’, 1911. About a 
dozen specimens. 
This species is very closely allied to M. martensi, Traustedt, a species collected 
by the ‘‘Gazelle’’ in Mermaid Strait in North-West Australia. In the external 
appearance, the shape of the body, and the configuration of the intestinal loop, the 
two species are almost identical, and, besides, they are both from the Indian 
Ocean. There are, however, certain differences in the internal anatomy which neces- 
sitate the specific separation of these two forms. In M. birmanica the dorsal 
tubercle is elongated antero-posteriorly with both horns coiled inwards, whereas in 
M. martensi it is broad and S-shaped with one of the horns bent outwards and the 
other inwards—‘‘ Fomreorganet stort, bredere end langt, S-formigt, det tilhöire 
liggende Horn udad—det tilventre liggende indad krummet.’’ Then, the latter 
species has usually six internal longitudinal bars on one side of the fold, the stigmata 
are mostly straight, and the anus has ‘‘3 store Lappen in Randen’’, all of which 
characters do not apply to our species. ‘They are also different in size, M. martensi 
being much the larger of the two, 
